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A remote chain of islands issued an urgent appeal for women yesterday.
A study in the Western Isles revealed that more women than men were escaping to the mainland.
Research found that the number of child-bearing women there could fall by almost 25 per cent over the next 12 years. It also revealed that more than 70 per cent of those moving to the islands were male.
More than 26,000 people live on the principal islands of Lewis, Harris, Benbecula, North Uist, South Uist and Barra, but young women outnumber men only on Benbecula.
The study commissioned by Western Isles Council concluded that the island chain needs to stop around 40 women leaving every year, and to encourage more women to move there.
Researchers blamed limited opportunities for women in the islands.
The Western Isles' only dating agency collapsed several years ago due to a lack of business. Dances have been held in an attempt to allow male crofters to meet women from the mainland.
Last year, the local health board urged couples wanting to conceive to move to the Outer Hebrides.
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